Determination, Snogging, and Towels
by Fly Raven. Fly
Summary: A determined Lily. Stuttering James. Add a shower, smirks, and kisses, and there is your fun. Seventh Year.


Lily Evans was determined.

Not like this is an uncommon occurrence, she was a determined girl just by nature. But this was different. It wasn't the regular ground eating strides, set jaw that she usually had when she wanted to accomplish. Oh no. There was a gleam, a wicked, mischievous gleam in her eyes, combined with her determination, never seen before by the other students of Hogwarts.

This gleam was frightening to the students—and most teachers—who had known Lily for the better part of her seven years at the magical school. It was a gleam that they had seen in the Marauders eyes often enough, but never the Head Girls. Needless to say, they were all a bit wary of her at the moment. And sincerely hoped and wished they weren't going to be the ones on the receiving end of her determination.

Lily was unaware to all of the mumbling and shifting of her peers as she swaggered—yes, swaggered, something to make anyone who knew her take a second look—through the halls. She was purely confidant, and as everyone else could tell, determined. Who was the red heads determination focused on, you might ask?

James Cian Potter.

Lily tilted her jaw up and narrowed her eyes as she thought the name. For six months, since they came back to Hogwarts, and they discovered each other as Head Boy and Girl, the boy had barely said a word to her besides during Prefect meetings, or polite questions, which were bound to happen since the lived in the same quarters. That bothered her. Insanely. Two weeks ago, even bloody three days ago if you suggested to her that it did, she would've hexed them bloody, then suggest they go to St. Mungo's to get their heads checked out.

Back to the topic, he hadn't even asked her out. Not once. Before seventh year, he had asked her out a total of one thousand three hundred twenty- six times. She knew because her friends had made a chart to magically add each time he did. And she had rejected him as many times as that, if not more.

So, he had asked her, begged her, pleaded, cajoled, demanded, and every other form of trying to get her to go out with him, for almost five years. And suddenly, it stopped.

He had thought, and for the most part convinced herself, that she was happy about this. But when she had to see him every day, be in close proximity with him every. Bloody. Day. She began to wonder _why _he hadn't asked her out, why he didn't talk to her as much, or flirt, or make a complete and utter fool of himself when she was around.

Two days ago she decided she missed it. The bickering, the flirts, his arrogance, and his subconscious hair ruffling.

More like, she thought, she missed him.

How that had happened she would never know. Of course she thought him attractive, and had for some time, but that did not mean she had to like him. Of course not. But she couldn't ignore the heaviness in her stomach when she saw him laughing, or the shaking hands and sweaty palms when she saw him concentrating on something, or the look he had when he was planning a prank, and she definitely could not ignore the urge to wring someone's neck when she saw a Ravenclaw sixth year grab him by his perfect broad shoulders, and snog him like tomorrow, last week. Nor could she ignore the twang deep in her stomach when he didn't return that night to the common room.

Slowly, too slowly in her opnion after four years, she came to the conclusion she cared. Not only that, she cared, was completely frustrated, irritated, adored, and completely and shockingly loved the boy. And, loving the stupid boy who confused her this year, was extremely jealous of all the images in her mind having to do with him and the busty slag of a Ravenclaw.

And now you are probably still wondering why she is determined. Lily was sitting innocently in the library, stabbing at her Charms essay with her quill, when she decided enough was enough. She wanted to know why he suddenly gave up on her, why he didn't talk to her, why he was with the Ravenclaw, and if he still fancied her. And she was going to find out now.

So here she was, striding to the Head's Common Room, ignoring everyone around here, and thinking things were going to be settled before she had to go bite the Ravenclaw's head off.

But a whole new reason for biting came into her mind when she walked into James' dorm to see him come out of the bathroom, still wet and hot from his shower in nothing but a towel hung low on his hips.

Then her mind shut down. All she could do was look at those broad shoulders, chiseled abs—Thank Merlin for Quidditch!—and hold herself back from licking the drops of water still scattered on that perfect tanned chest of his.

By the time she had that thought, James noticed her and jumped up about a foot, and blushed when he noticed her staring at him.

He cleared his throat. "L-Lily?" His voice was oddly high pitched.

She snapped out of it and looked at his flushed face. "Yes?"

"Uh…" he shifted his weight. "Uhm, is there a, uh, reason your in here?" Looking at me as if you want to eat me, he thought. Not that he had any problem with that at all. But he was still trying to be mature, and he didn't want her to hate him even more because of doing something stupid. So she needed to get out. Now. Because if she kept looking at him like that, he wouldn't be held responsible for his actions.

Her mind cleared when she just looked at his face, instead of any other part of his defined body, so she concentrated on that, and remembered the reason she came here. She wanted answers. She tucked her hair behind her ear and straightened her shoulders. "Yes there is actually. We need to talk about something."

Shit, he thought. She figured out he wasn't over her and came to tell him to keep away from her and never talk to her again, and he was a disgusting irresponsible git who would never be worthy of her time and affection. "Uh, do we have to talk now? While I'm still in a towel?"

She nodded, and he sighed and motioned her to talk. "What do we need to talk about?"

"Us."

James looked at her. As far as he knew there was no "us". There was a Lily, and a Lily Obsessed James. But he still nodded.

She folded her arms over her chest and James took all he had not to let his gaze follow her actions. Ogling Lily, bad. Having Lily catch you ogling her, deadly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Okay, now he was confused.

"What? Nothing is wrong with me." Other than wanting to tangle his hands in her hair and push her up against a wall… He mentally shook himself.

"Oh yes there is. What is your problem? You have not been yourself at all. Barely pranking anyone at all, not irritating me every chance you get, not nagging me to go on a date with you, paying attention during class. Something is definitely wrong with you, and I want to know what. Now."

He gaped at her. Well. Jig was up. Might as well save some of your pride while you can. He smirked at her. "Why, Evans? Have you missed me?" He was definitely going to get slapped.

So he was slightly shocked when she took a step towards him and said, "And if I have?" Challenging him.

He blinked once. Then twice. Then once more. "Uh…"

"Because," she said taking another step towards him, to their chests were barely touching, looking up at him, and he could see something akin to determination in her eyes. "I seemed to have gone mad enough to." Another step, bodies flush against each other, he sucked in a breath, wondering if he was dreaming or she was just playing with him to get him back. "And it occurred to me that the reason I am missing you," she laid her hands on his chest. "Is because you have been more or less ignoring me since September. And I want to know why."

He blinked again. Ignore her? What? "I haven't been ignoring you. I've just been…" Avoiding you so I don't make an idiot out of myself and try to prove that I'm not the same stupid, immature second year, he silently finished.

She tilted her head, eyes narrowed on his face. God he was gorgeous, she just wanted to bite him. And by the way his hands were subconsciously making circles on her hips, and the look in his eyes, he wouldn't necessarily mind.

So she did.

She tilted her head up a little more, and softly bit his lip, eyes open to see his reaction. Which would have been comical if she wasn't afraid that she misinterpreted him wrong.

His eyes opened wide. Did she just--? Did--? Lily—just—did she--? His mind tried to keep up. She just bit him. Whoa. He looked down a the smirking girl, and he gulped. "Uhm. Uh.."

She laughed. He took a moment to realize she never did that in his company before. "Is that all you have to say? You never answered my questions by the way."

He swallowed. "What were they again?"

She smiled. Another thing he couldn't remember her doing around him before. "Why were you barely pranking anyone, why weren't you irritating me every chance you get, why weren't you nagging me to go on a date with you, and actually paying attention during class?"

He thought about it. He could lie, save himself probably and his dignity and ego. But he was standing in his room in a towel with a girl who had the upper hand on him. And he didn't know how many times he had stuttered. Best to come clean. He shifted, and realized Lily now had her arms around his neck, still pressed against him, and her hands were laced through his hair. Merlin. "Well, I'm not pranking because I wanted to show you I can be mature, and I thought it was time to grow up a little since we are all leaving soon. I wasn't irritating you or nagging you, to once again show you that I can be mature, and decided if you did want to go on a date with me, I couldn't force you into it. And paying attention, mostly because I don't want to fail my N.E.W.T.s"

It was her turn to be surprised, and he noticed it. "What?" He asked, sliding his hands around her waist, while she was still off guard. Who knew if he could ever do this again.

"I thought you had lost interest." She thought of the Ravenclaw. "It certainly seemed like it."

He laughed at the absurdity of losing interest in her. "I would never, could ever," he corrected. "Lose interest in you."

"What about that Ravenclaw?"

He grimaced. "You saw that, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah." Then she looked down. "And you didn't come back that night."

He remembered that that night was a full moon, and as soon as he managed to push her off of him he ran to meet up with Sirius and Peter. "I was hanging out with the Padfoot, Wormtail, and Moony. And I didn't want to kiss her." He decided to take a chance since this seemed to be going well, and leaned down to her so his breath ghosted over her slightly parted lips. "I wanted, and still want, you. Always." And he kissed her.

James felt like he was on fire. It was slow at first, hesitant, but the burn in him grew and he felt her slide her hands back into his hair and grip in his hair, and moan softly into his mouth. Then it was hot, messy and so perfect. There were teeth and tongues and their noses kept bumping, and his glasses were probably digging into her nose, but it felt so _right_.

Sadly, air was needed, and they pulled apart panting. "Wow." Lily breathed. "I didn't expect that to happen."

He laughed when he got some air back and nuzzled her neck. "Ha. What did you expect?"

She shook her head and shivered when she felt him suck where her neck and shoulder met. "I don't—um. Know. I was very determined to get some answers. And I probably wouldn't have bitten you if it weren't for the fact that you are just in a towel…"

He smiled and pushed her up against a wall and trailed kisses over her throat, his hands sliding up and down her sides. "Well, then thank Merlin for determination and towels, then." He smirked. "Now, no more talking. I am going to snog you the way I have wanted to for five years."

And they didn't talk for quite a while.

**Okay, so it's rushed, all over the place, and confusing in a lot of parts, but it popped into my head and I had to do something. And then decided to post it on here. **

**I know James is kind of OOC to some but it's how I saw it in my head.**

**Review? Even if it's just to tell me I should never write, or think about writing a story as long as I live.**

**Faith, Trust, and Pixy dust,**

**Soho :]**


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